Archive for July, 2011

“It’s a different game than when I played,” he says, and I imagine him on the other end of the phone call, twirling the trademark handlebar mustache.   Here it is in the middle of a Tuesday and I’m talking with Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers. “We’d break spring training with maybe nine pitchers.  Nowadays, you break camp with 12, 13 pitchers.” I’ve asked him a question I’m sure he’s faced numerous times before – what’s the deal with specialized bullpens?  Looking at his career stats and you see a reliever who surpassed 100 innings of work 11 times [...]

5.13 Through 519.1 innings, that’s the cumulative ERA of Royals starters this season.  That includes such immaculate performances as Kyle Davies‘s 7.74 ERA, Sean O’Sullivan‘s 6.57 ERA and a steaming pile of Luke Hochevar Blowup Innings (patent pending). With hitting prospects rising up the professional ladder, the Royals have hope for the future, but as a pitching staff goes, so goes the team.  A pitching staff may not need to be the Braves of the early ’90s, but they have to be at least competent. This group is not that – and it has to change for that hope to [...]

After a week off to observe the Independence Day weekend, Royalman Troy Olsen and I were back in studio with another episode of the Royalman Report.  This week, we were able to talk with Twins blogger Brandon Warne (and you can read his work on BrandonWarne.com as well as occasionally on FanGraphs. You can follow him on Twitter as well at @brandonwarne52)  With the Royals coming back from the All-Star Break with a series against the Twins, the insight helps preview the matchup. Among Royals topics, we talked about a few trades, All-Star Game selections, the Alex Gordon visit to [...]

I try and follow Joe Posnanski’s blog as religiously as possible because, well…the man is a great sportswriter and he’s a Royals fan as well, so it’s kind of a no-brainer. I read a recent post in June about the importance of having athletes you despise and taking every opportunity you can to root against them. For some reason it really resonated with me. This, and a series win over the White Sox earlier this week, has given me cause to muse on an athlete I ostensibly root against at all opportunities.

With a home run in his second at bat*, Derek Jeter joined the 3,000 hit club, an exclusive group of hitters who have combined consistency with longevity and production. *Though he also had 185 hits in the playoffs, which don’t “count” towards career milestones, other than playoff hit records and such of course. I’m immediately reminded of the night George Brett, my favorite player growing up, reached the 3,000 hit mark. The Royals were on the road at the end of the 1992 season.  Brett, 39 at the time, was at 2,996 hits and, after years of hustling, hard play, [...]

Hello again! For the last month I’ve been standing on the banks of Lake Kauffman. From time to time I’ve dipped my toes in the water but have been unable to take the plunge and publish my first article here since November 11th of last year. Now, things have changed. As you have read, Jeff Herr has moved on to head up our network’s KU coverage over on Through the Phog. His departure leaves a gap in the minor league coverage on this site, but if you’re a long time reader of Kings of Kauffman you may remember my days [...]

Danny Duffy was sent back to Omaha on Thursday and recalled Everett Teaford to take his spot on the 25 man roster. “What?” – you may ask – “Kyle Davies (and his 7.77 ERA) gets to stick around and Duffy has to go back to Triple A?  What about the six-man rotation?” Fear not, as it’s merely a way to get Duffy work on a regular schedule over the All-Star break.

Last summer, Jason Kendall won praise from the clubhouse for being a tough guy and playing with torn tendons in his right shoulder.  He finally gave in and had surgery in September. At the time it didn’t seem like a quick recovery, but there were rumblings that he might return even as soon as opening day.  Instead, MRI results revealed that the tendons again tore and Kendall will have to have surgery again.  He’s finished for 2011 and, as a 37-year-old free-agent-to-be, he’s probably done regardless of if the surgery is successful or not.

Kansas City gave it a shot, but Alex Gordon finished in third place behind Paul Konerko and Victor Martinez (but ahead of Adam Jones and Ben Zobrist) in the American League Final Vote. It’s a solid showing, at least, and for a consolation, MLB.com announced that Gordon was the leading vote-getter among mobile voters.  I know from discussions on Twitter and in the real world that large chunk of Royals fans are also techno-savvy.  A large contingent on Twitter had voted 1,000 times or more (I’d estimate my own contribution about about 2,000 – MLB made it very easy to [...]

Usually, achievements are measured in tidy, rounded numbers.  The First 100 Days in Office.  A 90-day trial period.  Things like that. I could do that, but I’m impatient.  I’d only have to wait for nine more plate appearances to discuss the First 100 Plate Appearances of the Moustakas Regime.  But again, I’m impatient.  So I present to you, a quick breakdown of The First 91 Plate Appearances of the Moustakas Regime.

The Royals agreed to deals with two more 16-year-old prospects from Latin America this afternoon. After signing outfielder Elier Hernandez at the start of the international signing period, Kansas City came to agreements with shortstop Angelo Castellano and catcher Luis Lara.  Both are 16 and from Venezuela. Castellano is 6’1″ 175 pounds and bats right-handed.  He has power potential but may have to shift positions, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Lara is a defense-first catcher. As with most young international players, Castellano and Lara should end up in instructional leagues for a while and could see short-season baseball [...]

It was June 4th 2010. That was the last time Felipe Paulino won a major league baseball game. Thirteen months and 120 pitches later, he wins again- on an away field, against a division opponent. What a relief. It wasn’t easy but Paulino and the Royals finally pulled it off. The box score numbers even look good for Felipe with nine strikeouts and only two walks. It was without a doubt, an above average performance. The Royals will take the money and run. My problem is this: After the late inning victory in South Chi town, Paulino was quoted in [...]